Freedom of Speech online Options

[Goombaguy]

Speaking of Cyber Police....

I personally think it's sad that we've reached this level of freedom of speech online. The web is now cluttered with "video responses" giving peoples poorly thought-out opinions for a good several minutes on video clips that don't exceed 30 seconds. Here we can observe a child being given far too much free reign, particularly considering her age, which reinforces this negative image that net users seem to be developing. We are becoming the new "video game player" which was originally the "rap music listeners" who were at some point the "darned kids and their rock and roll", only this trend does not find itself predominantly owned by any one age group.

This issue with the net has been ongoing for a while, but the very existence of the web relies on a user-base sort of model. If no one uses the net, it doesn't grow. But how do we know where and when it should grow? Who is there to decide? YouTube staff have to sort, ever so slowly, through the videos members upload, looking for anything that violates their EULA. But outside of that, how can some standard of content be defined and then recognized?

So now we have "entitled" people with the means to flood a vast expanse that we call the internet, with their opinions and thoughts. What can really be done about it? How could we define sought after content from not? The best we currently have is "leaving it to the individual".

[Hasfusel]

I read about Jessi Slaughter on Encyclopaedia Dramatica the internet yesterday, funnily enough.

There's not much we can do about this kind of thing. It's lame, but it gives lame people a platform and access to each other, so why not? Besides, it's occasionally very funny.

Alright bro? Alright broskis?

[Saffy]

I haven't formulated a solid opinion on the matter, but one thought did come to mind. Isn't content ultimately filtered out based on popular opinion? There may be a lot of voices out there, but ultimately the public will choose to listen to a select few, lessening the impact of others. Business works in a similar manner.

[Goombaguy]

Augh, no control+z here to bring my post back!

To summarize what would have been a long post;

I've seen 5 year old YouTube videos that don't have more than 100 views there. I don't think they get rid of them unless they violate the rules.

[Saffy]

Yeah, but most people aren't watching them, so what are those videos really doing?

[Goombaguy]

Yeah, but most people aren't watching them, so what are those videos really doing?

Clogging the internet. Which is another problem. The original video that started this topic, on the side, had a solid wall of video responses, most longer than the original video. The first response was almost 10 minutes in length. Jeez. So this one video has sparked so many other videos just through its existence.

[Tolby]

You guys are acting like the internet is just a tube, and a not a series of them. Theres totally enough room for kitties chasing their tails and 11 year olds wishing for you to cut your clit.

[ClassicTyler]

So the reasonable thing to do is to delete all videos or "vlogs", yes?

I find this acceptable.

[Goombaguy]

You guys are acting like the internet is just a tube, and a not a series of them. Theres totally enough room for kitties chasing their tails and 11 year olds wishing for you to cut your clit.

Too many videos almost caused everyone to lose YouTube. It was by the good graces of Google (or rather, Google saw this opportunity) that we still have this easy-access video sharing site.

[Jason]

Renamed the title so I don't have to ban you for undermining staff decisions. :D

But yeah, my solution is just to avoid watching pointless video responses all together.

[Guitar Smasher]

If you don't want to be subjected to opinions and attitudes you disagree with, then simply avoid it. The thing with your internet browser is that it doesn't just present everything to you, it presents what you explicitly ask (click) for.

[Goombaguy]

Renamed the title so I don't have to ban you for undermining staff decisions. :D

But yeah, my solution is just to avoid watching pointless video responses all together.

Does anyone not see the irony of all this here? You've removed my freedom of speech to call this subject freedom of speech, after "deciding for me what is worth my time to be discussing." I named the topic this to be a continuation of the last topic, because I DID have things I wanted to say about it. This is related to the last topic and I want it changed back to represent this.

Speaking of cyber-police...

[Oscar]

*watches the other videos* I kind of wanted to discuss, too, but since the videos have a lot of swears it's not really allowed here on RS. But it is very ironic. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lalaexdee.gif)


Anyways, there's always been stuff like that on the internet. There'll keep being more stuff like that, but you decide what to watch. If people want to watch that little gazelle acting crazy then they can, but if not you can watch other things that fit with you. I think it's good that we get so many things to choose from.


EDIT: Seriously!? Another filter? And this time for GIrrrrl? -_- There's more censoring! Ha!

[Guitar Smasher]

Speaking of cyber-police...

Now c'mon, it's his web forum, he can decide what's worth discussing. He hasn't taken away your right to have your own web forum.

[Saffy]

Pretty much ^

Ranch Story is a very relaxed and informal forum. We don't have tight rules and often let more slide than any other Harvest Moon forum will allow. That's just how Ranch Story came to be. A lot of the other Harvest Moon forums tend to be more strict, thus our intent is to follow what the community wants so as to make this forum an enjoyable online social hangout without too many rules or restrictions.

Of course, our behaviour comes at a cost. While we may let a lot slide on our forums, we're bound to hear more complaints when we do disallow what we consider improper.

Regarding the topic change, the title is more clear to anyone not familiar with the previous topic. As for the initial topic closure, Jason should have given a proper explanation, I will admit.

Each community has their ability to dictate what is and is not allowed. Really, there is nothing out of the ordinary here. The only difference with Ranch Story is that we're less clear on what we permit, and are more likely to disallow activities after they happen. You could say we give people the benefit of the doubt.

Even then, if we do impose restrictions we'll likely talk to the member and explain why that behaviour is out of the line or issue a warning if it should be obvious (e.g. excessive swearing). We've "seriously" banned very few people, and often allow a lot to go on through. We're not complete dictators here, but at some point we have to say, "okay, we don't want this behaviour."

As for that particular topic being closed, again, I don't know. If you have an issue with it you're better off talking to Jason and getting a better explanation.

In summation, Ranch Story in significantly less restrictive than any other Harvest Moon community, though our informality does come at a cost.

[Kozunai]

To continue on Saffy's post about what we allow and don't allow. We have only Perma banned one person, that I know of, and they seriously deserved it. Several people have gotten a suspension, but nothing more than that. Some things do go a little to far (some more than a little) and we try to handle them in a very calm matter. We will most likely close a topic that we think is disrupting the peace, or is too inappropriate for the forum, then we usually try to contact the member in question that created the topic.

As for the topic at hand, I do believe people should have the freedom of speech, in real life, and on the internet. However, there are some things that I believe should be either not said at all, or if it is a neccesity, censored (spoiler tags).

[Pixel]

I have to agree with GS here. It's the internet, it's a big place and you decide what you do, and moreover, what you see. Nobody is forcing anybody else to visit forums with rules they disagree with, associate with unfavourable people online, watch videos that annoy you or anything like that. These are the same kinds of people, I think, who complain about all the FarmVille etc related updates on Facebook who don't know that they're one click away from categorically ignoring every FarmVille update that would normally appear on their newsfeed.

I find, however, that some people do have too much freedom over the internet. For example, Facebook TRIED to moderate names, especially when they're changed, but that doesn't stop me from seeing the occasional * Jenneee Allennnn-Cullennnn * littering my newsfeed. I DO think that tighter moderation is needed on the internet simply because of how easy it is to post anything you wanted to. Without forum moderators, forums would degenerate into 10 year olds whining about nothing, posting in the wrong forum, creating useless topics about nothing and having 1000x1000 signatures. Moderation keeps things looking clean and, while it may annoy one person (specifically, the person being censored) it is good for the community as a whole. It keeps Facebook organized to have people using their actual names and not some crap they made up (plus it's annoying as helk when you're searching for a friend and you forget that they aren't using their real name).

As far as the problem with clogging YouTube goes... why don't they just disable text comments all together? It wouldn't lessen the problem as much as deleting a few thousand videos, but I'm sure it'd help a little. And nothing of value was lost.

Edit: Has anybody still been following that Jessi Slaughter crap? Apparently her and her family are now under police protection...

[Hasfusel]

Only semi-related at this stage, but



BACK-TRACED IT
END OF CONVERSATION, FROM. HER. FFFAATTHHHERRRR.

So I guess the moral of the story is that too much internet freedom is a good thing?
Or alternatively, don't screw with Anonymous.

[Saffy]

After looking into the story I probably would have closed the topic myself had Jason not. It's just not a discussion I'm really comfortable having on these forums.

[IdlersDream]

Had no idea what everyone was talking about until now googling her... Umm... I thought I was weird and did things I shouldn't have at 11 but this gazelle is out of control. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lalaeyes.gif)

The thing is though with the internet, once you post something, you basically have absolutely no control over it whatsoever and you'll never know if someone has saved what you posted to their computer and it will forever be out there. This gazelle, for example, could be saying and doing the exact same things or have the exact same rumours about her even if there wasn't an internet, it's just now this kind of thing can get out of control because of the internet.

Everyone, even 11 year old gazelles, have a right to say what they want. Really, the parents should be monitoring slightly what she's up to, and really, no 11 year old gazelle should have a computer in their bedroom... That's where things end up going wrong.

But I don't see the point in get so upset about that topic being closed, like said before, we're allowed with a lot on this forum and yet it's still a good place for people of all ages.